fj^t- ANEC. OF THE LATE EARL OF ERROL. 3T3 



to dine with the juftices, he fat as their guell ; fo that 

 feeling, as he did, his inferiority -among perfons of 

 fiich fuperior rank and education, the thange to him 

 was great, and highly mortifying. His emoluments 

 too, being diminilhed, in confcquence of a decreafe in 

 the number, and an aba-tement in the .aijijount of the 

 fines, he became much lefs eager about Birlnging daufes 

 before that tribunal than formerly. The excil^i>nfi- 

 nefs thus decreafed, and many other affairs of anothct 

 tiature came to be agitated there. 



The people in general were fiiTrily convinced that 

 wherever Lord Errol prefidcd, juftiee would be jvdmi- 

 niftered with the flrittefl: impartiality ; or, if ever any 

 favour was fliown, it would lean towards the fide of 

 the party whirh was lead able to vindicate its own 

 rights. All i-^/icJi men, tlierefore, who found them- 

 feives engaged in a difpute with others, were anxious 

 ro have their caufes brought before that tribunal. — 

 .There, every man was allowed to iiate his own cafe, 

 in tlrs bell manner he could, was confronted with the 

 pther party, and the truth inveftigated in their pre- 

 fence. In this manner, with a due degree of attention, 

 his Lordftiip and the other judges were feldam at a ioi's 

 to decide according to juitice. So much fatisfaftion 

 did tliofe decifions afford,- that the caufes brought be- 

 fore that tribunal, moit of them, indeed, of fmnli a - 

 mount in refpcrct to money, but of great importance in 

 regard to the parties concerned, became extremely nu- 

 merous. It frequently happened that fome hundreds 

 of caufes were decided at one fitting; yet 1 have not 

 }icard that ever ojic perfon thought ,of lodging an ap- 

 peal from the decifions of this court, during the courfe 

 of nearly twenty years that J^ord Errol continued to 

 t.ike an aclive lead in it. 



'i'hefe may perhaps appear to be very unintcrefting de- 

 t lii'i to perfons wiio cuiifider nothing as of importance 

 except thofe wliich rel.ite to great objects ; but to men 

 wli.) look linon the profperitv of the flate, ai'.d the wf-I- 



VoL. V. + ' R r 



